Marcos (footballer, born 1973)

Marcos Roberto Silveira Reis (born 4 August 1973), known as Marcos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent his entire professional career at Palmeiras, of the Série A, from 1992 until his retirement in January 2012, and became one of the club's greatest idols, being nicknamed São Marcos ("Saint Mark" in Portuguese). He was the starting goalkeeper of the champion Brazilian squad of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.[2][3]

Marcos
Marcos in 2010
Personal information
Full name Marcos Roberto Silveira Reis
Date of birth (1973-08-04) 4 August 1973 (age 50)
Place of birth Oriente, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1990–1992 Lençoense
1992 Palmeiras
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–2011 Palmeiras 533 (0)
International career
1992–1993 Brazil U20 4 (0)
1999–2005 Brazil 29 (0)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Brazil
FIFA World Cup
Winner 2002 Korea & Japan
FIFA Confederations Cup
Winner 2005 Germany
Runner-up 1999 Mexico
Copa América
Winner 1999 Paraguay
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career edit

 
Marcos during his youth career at Lençoense

He played for Brazilian professional club Palmeiras since 1992 and was the first goalkeeper since 1999 after an injury of Velloso, the first-choice goalkeeper at the time. With outstanding performances in the 1999 Copa Libertadores he helped the team conquer the title, after beating Palmeiras' arch rivals Corinthians in the penalty shoot-outs in the quarter-final. Since then he was nicknamed São Marcos. In 2000 once again he faced Corinthians in the Libertadores, this time at the semi-final level, and again eliminated the rivals in the penalty shoot-out.[citation needed]

"I had the offer, travelled to London, but Palmeiras were going through a tough time in their history, after relegation, and I couldn't play some of the matches due to injury. I had the opportunity to join Arsenal, but this was also a chance for me to show the Palmeiras supporters that what I said about loving the club was true. I didn't want to do what many players do: sign a long contract (with Arsenal) – mine was supposed to be five years – and then tell the club I couldn’t adapt, ask to be loaned out, and still earn the club's money. I don't think it's a nice thing to do. That's why I spoke openly with Arsène Wenger."

—Marcos on why he chose not to join Arsenal in 2002.[4]

In 2002, after a fantastic World Cup participation with Brazil's team, he received a proposal from the English team Arsenal[5] and actually went to London to sign but then disappeared, leaving Arsenal midfielder and fellow Brazilian, Edu, wondering where he had gone, therefore the deal never happened. When he eventually surfaced, he stated that he would rather play the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (second division) with Palmeiras than play in any European team just for the money.[4]

In 2008, he helped Palmeiras win the 2008 Campeonato Paulista. Marcos played his 400th match for Palmeiras on 21 September 2008 in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match between his club and Vasco.[6]

He was given a special shirt for playing his 400th match. The number 400 was printed on the back, with his name and the writings "O melhor goleiro do Brasil" (The best goalkeeper in Brazil). On the front, all the titles that he has won along with Palmeiras and Brazil's national team are printed.[7]

 
Marcos playing for Palmeiras in 2010

On 4 January 2012, at the age of 38, Marcos announced his retirement from football, due to his advanced age and the many injuries that marked his career.[8]

Marcos is one of the greatest idols of Palmeiras' fans, alongside Ademir da Guia and Djalma Santos.[citation needed]

International career edit

Marcos debuted for Brazil in a match against Spain on 13 November 1999. Previously, he was included in Brazil's squad for the 1999 Copa América and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup as a second-choice goalkeeper. He remained as Brazil's backup goalkeeper as Dida and Rogério Ceni were preferred ahead of him. He became Brazil's starting goalkeeper in the 2001 Copa América and retained that position after the tournament, relegating Dida to the bench.[citation needed]

He was subsequently included in Brazil's squad for 2002 FIFA World Cup as the first-choice goalkeeper, replacing Taffarel. He started every game in the tournament and played every minute of Brazil's matches in the tournament. He had four clean sheets, conceded only four goals in seven matches, and helped Brazil win the World Cup for a record fifth time. Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski reported in their book Soccernomics that Marcos spent the entire tournament in severe pain from a prior broken wrist injury that did not properly heal, unable to train fully or even catch the ball in some matches.[9] According to Marcos' agent, Marcos hid the injury from manager Luiz Felipe Scolari through the tournament.[9]

However, after a series of injuries that affected his career, Marcos lost his place in the team after the World Cup. He made only four more international appearances after the World Cup, and was left out of Brazil's squad for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2004 Copa América. In 2005, he was called again and included in the squad for the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He made one appearance in the tournament, starting in a 2–2 draw against Japan during the group stage, which turned out to be his last appearance for Brazil.[citation needed]

On 6 October 2005, Marcos announced his retirement from international football, but continued to play for Palmeiras, the only team he has played for in his career.[citation needed]

However, he would later go back on his decision to retire from the national team, and announced himself as still available for selection. He was placed on standby lists for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Copa América, but did not manage to get a place in the final list of either competitions.

Style of play edit

While writing for Sports Illustrated in 2009, Tim Vickery described Marcos with the following words: "Tall, athletic, commanding, good under pressure," while also praising him for his longevity.[10] Nicknamed São Marcos ("Saint Mark" in Portuguese),[11] he was also known for his penalty–stopping abilities,[12] and is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.[2][3][13][14]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Brazilian Cup Paulista League South America International Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Palmeiras 1992 Série A 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - - 1 0
1993 Série A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0
1994 Série A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0
1995 Série A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - 0 0
1996 Série A 12 0 1 0 4 0 - - - - 17 0
1997 Série A 5 0 0 0 6 0 - - - - 11 0
1998 Série A 1 0 5 0 5 0 - - - - 11 0
1999 Série A 15 0 7 0 22 0 14 0 1 0 59 0
2000 Série A 20 0 0 0 5 0 14 0 - - 39 0
2001 Série A 14 0 4 0 9 0 12 0 - - 39 0
2002 Série A 19 0 2 0 20 0 - - - - 41 0
2003 Série B 32 0 2 0 12 0 - - - - 46 0
2004 Série A 5 0 5 0 9 0 - - - - 19 0
2005 Série A 22 0 - - 11 0 8 0 - - 41 0
2006 Série A 4 0 - - 5 0 5 0 - - 14 0
2007 Série A 1 0 2 0 11 0 - - - - 14 0
2008 Série A 37 0 4 0 13 0 6 0 - - 60 0
2009 Série A 36 0 - - 7 0 12 0 - - 55 0
2010 Série A 13 0 5 0 17 0 1 0 - - 36 0
2011 Série A 19 0 3 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 27 0
Career total 255 0 40 0 160 0 74 0 1 0 533[15] 0

International edit

Appearances and goals by national team and year[16]
National team Year Apps Goals
Brazil 1999 1 0
2000 0 0
2001 11 0
2002 13 0
2003 1 0
2004 1 0
2005 2 0
Total 29 0

Honours edit

Palmeiras


Brazil U20

Brazil

Individual

  • Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 1999
  • Copa Libertadores Best Goalkeeper: 1999
  • Copa Libertadores Final Most Valuable Player: 1999
  • Copa Libertadores Best Newcomer: 1999
  • Campeonato Paulista Best Goalkeeper: 1999, 2003, 2008
  • Copa Mercosur Best Goalkeeper: 1999
  • Torneio Rio – São Paulo Best Goalkeeper: 2000
  • Best Latin American Goalkeeper: 1999, 2002
  • IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper fourth place: 2002
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série B Most Valuable Player: 2003
  • Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2008, 2009

References edit

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b "Brazil's greatest goalkeepers". Sky Sports. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b Christopher Atkins (10 January 2013). "Ranking Brazil's 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b Critchlow, Dan (29 September 2019). "Brazilian World Cup winning goalkeeper Marcos talks about almost joining Arsenal". Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Arsenal solve keeper crisis". BBC Sport. 31 January 2003. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Na festa de Marcos, Palmeiras bate Vasco e fica a um ponto do topo" (in Portuguese). Universo Online. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Marcos vai encarar o Galo com a camisa comemorativa de 400 jogos no Verdão" (in Portuguese). Rede Globo. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  8. ^ Diego Ribeiro. "Fim de uma era: maior ídolo recente do Verdão, Marcos encerra a carreira". globoesporte.com.
  9. ^ a b Kuper, Simon; Szymanski, Stefan (2012). Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Spain, Germany, and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey—And Even Iraq—Are Destined to Become the Kings of the World's Most Popular Sport. New York, NY: Nation Books. p. 331. ISBN 978-1-56858-701-1.
  10. ^ Vickery, Tim (26 May 2009). "Tim Vickery: Brazilian hero Marcos never wanted to risk it overseas". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  11. ^ Silvestri, Stefano (18 September 2020). "Marcos, il "santo" campione del Mondo senza voler giocare" (in Italian). www.goal.com. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  12. ^ "CALCIO, BRASILE: SI RITIRA A 38 ANNI MARCOS, CAMPIONE DEL MONDO 2002". sport.repubblica.ia Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  13. ^ Martini, Davide (9 December 2015). "I 10 migliori portieri brasiliani della storia" (in Italian). 90min.com. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  14. ^ Rookwood, Dan; Ingle, Sean; Glendenning, Barry (30 June 2002). "How did they rate?". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Os números do ídolo Marcos na história do Palmeiras - Palmeiras.com.br". Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Marcos: um paredão no gol do Brasil" (in Portuguese). cbf.com.br. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2020.

External links edit